“All these years, I have been singing for someone else’s music, and that is my forte,” says Shweta Mohan. She adds, “But when I listen to a favourite singer, Arijit Singh, for example, as a fan I want to listen to his original music.” The singer says she has been working on her own independent tracks. “One is almost complete; it is a pop song in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Next is a love track, and I have more in the pipeline. The idea is to keep giving out more of my music.”
Shweta Mohan performing at ‘Two to Tango’, a fund-raising concert put together by the Rotary Club of Madras at The Music Academy in 2016
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RAVINDRAN R
Known for Tamil hits like ‘Hey Minnale’ (Amaran), ‘Vaa Vaathi’ (Vaathi), ‘Maya Nadhi’ (Kabali), ‘Enna Solla’ (Thangamagan), among several others, Shweta draws inspiration for her original music from the world around her.
“My first single titled ‘Yaavum Enadhe’ (Tamil) / ‘Sab Mera Hai’ (Hindi) spoke about how it’s good to be selfish for yourself, your family, your home, your city, and your world. My second single ‘Amma’ was a tribute to my mother Sujatha Mohan when she received a Lifetime Achievement award,” she says, adding that she is currently creating romantic tracks. “These are tunes that came to me while I was travelling or on a shoot.”
The artiste is also working on singer S Janaki’s compositions. “She has composed and written four new beautiful tunes and asked me to make them into full-fledged songs. She has written them in Hindi, and we are also making the Tamil versions with Gangai Amaran sir penning the lyrics.”
Shweta Mohan at an earlier concert
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Special Arrangement
Given Shweta’s vast repertoire, is there a song she believes was written just for her? ‘Hey Minnale’ comes to her mind first. “The song begins with chakkare (a term of endearment in Tamil and Malayalam), and when I heard it, I had an instant connection. It was totally me; I call the people I love chakkare too.”
She also recalls songs that she had to recite, rather than sing. “For ‘Innum Konjam Naeram’ in Maryan, I initially recorded it with a recording assistant, and when AR Rahman heard it he sat with me and gave me pointers. He explained how the song was all about asking your lover to stay for longer, and that I should whisper the lyrics, sing it slower. I was newly married then, so he asked me to speak the lyrics as if I were to say it to my husband. We completed the song in 20 minutes!” Even for ‘Nee Partha Vizhigal’ from 3, Shweta recalls Anirudh Ravichander asked her to “not to sing, enunciate it – it will come naturally”.
Karthik and Shweta Mohan performing at The Hindu November Fest retro evening at the PSG Medical Sciences auditorium in Coimbatore in 2015
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PERIASAMY M
Shweta says she has always enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. So, if there were a song that would describe her life, she chooses ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’. “When I started out with music as a profession, all I wanted was a life dedicated to music. I was not aiming to be the numero uno singer or for hit songs in films. I have taken it one step at a time and I am working towards having an equally balanced professional and personal life,” she says, “ABBA’s ‘Thank You for the Music’ is also something I relate to. I’m grateful for the journey, for all it has taught me and given me.”
Karthik with Shweta Mohan and Shakthisree Gopalan performing at The Hindu November Fest retro evening at the PSG Medical Sciences auditorium in Coimbatore in 2015
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PERIASAMY M
And an artiste’s evolution is inevitable. “As you evolve as a person, your music will also change,” says Shweta, referring to how her music has changed after her daughter Sreshta was born eight years ago. “Singing is all about the mind and the heart. You don’t perform the same way twice. Motherhood has grounded me, and I have grown as a person with her,” says Shweta.
“I learnt the piano until the Grade 6, but I was bunked classes. I was a good student academically, and used that as an excuse to not take music seriously. When I was in Class nine, I stopped all my music classes and my mother had warned me that I would regret it, but I did it anyway,” she says, adding that she now plays the piano occasionally. “I try and dust off the cobwebs,” Shweta laughs, “When I sit at the piano, I get transported to my old self. It is my happy place.”
Published – October 22, 2025 11:05 am IST
